A sold out day at Glencoe Mountain Resort

Due to the way things work in my day job. I have to pick my annual leave days, I don’t automatically get bank holidays off, so I was a bit oblivious to the fact this was everyone else’s last opportunity to grab a day on the slopes before returning to work. I saw the post stating car park would be busy but it only dawned on me when I arrived. It looked full but I did manage to find a spot after 10am when I finally arrived. 

I wasn’t expecting much as I’d missed New Year’s Day with the fresh snow that arrived. I did remember the boiler plate upper mountain experienced on Hogmanay. So I was pleasantly surprised to see the wind had redistributed plenty of snow around the mountain. 

Using the new Rannoch chair, I was quickly heading to the Cliffy chair via Mugs Alley which is still low tide but has excellent  coverage. 

The weather was good with scattered cloud and sunny spells so when I got to the summit, Happy Valley lay before me. Lots of little pockets of wind blown powder to hop between. With my lightest solid board on my feet, I felt like a spring chicken, unlike when carrying the touring paraphernalia. Barely any ice until the narrows then good cold snow back to the rescue hut. I was whooping to myself under my breath. It felt really good to be back on fresh snow. 

Next time up to the summit I chose Main Basin. It still needs more to fill it to its usual level,  but the snow that is there is lovely. I just had to remember to hang a left and avoid the chasm of the Haggis Trap. 

All that bouncing around definitely left my thighs feeling the burn. This is where the new lift and the run down to it come into their own. This is the perfect place to rest tired legs between sessions. Once the steeper runs come into their own this will be a great extension from the East ridge, Fly and Springy. Rather than cutting back to the Cliffy, I’ll be heading straight to the bottom of Rannoch chair. 

Visibility started to deteriorate around lunchtime. Spindrift then snow flurries started coming in. The lower slopes were a bit clearer and another reason to ride the Rannoch. 

The snow started getting heavier and it was time to leave. I had an eye on the road home as snow was lying on that. So quickly, boots were off and I was driving down the access road from Coe after a truly uplifting day. I’m back at work on Tuesday, so make the most if you have it off!